Fire ant infestation is spreading rapidly along the southern and gulf coast areas where the warm and humid climates are well suited for propagation. The fire ants are extremely voracious and pose significant economic problems to crops, foliage, livestock, and agricultural operations. The fire ants are also aggressive when disturbed, swarming and stinging the source and resulting in burning pains and itching pustules. While not generally resulting in serious permanent injury to non-allergic individuals, the presence of fire ant colonies and fear of attack oftentimes results in an abandonment of the colonized area.
Various devices and chemical and heat treatments have been developed for controlling existing colonies. Many, however, are large and complex best suited for use by professional operators and not suited for consumer residential use. Where fire ant traps and bait stations have be targeted for consumer use, they have fallen short of accounting for all the complexities in effectively eradicating the colony.
The fire ants live below ground in a network of chambers and tunnels evidenced on the surface by mound that may be several inches in height and feet in diameter. When disturbed by traps and bait stations implanted at the mound, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,021 to Green, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,626 to Jackson, the fire ants are not confined and tend to swarm toward the applicator inflicting bites. Moreover, the implanting may cause the colony to abandon the site. Accordingly, the queen may exit the mound and reestablish a new colony at a proximate location. Further, the devices may be dislodged providing access to potentially toxic and irritating compounds, posing particular problems to children and pets. Additionally, the eradicating agents employed can be rendered ineffective in the presence of precipitation.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a device usable by non-professionals that could be safely and securely installed at the mound, that would prevent abandonment of reproductive ants and queens, and that would allow dispensing of the eradicating agents without alarming the colony to the point of abandonment, would promote transfer of the agents throughout the colony, and would not be subject to reduction in efficacy in the presence of varying environmental conditions.